Indian Spiced Cauliflower Recipe

Cauliflower Baked and Indian Style Recipe

There are two recipes here. The first is a simple baked cauliflower and the second is a cauliflower that is sautéed with Indian spices. Both are very good.

Cauliflower, besides being low in calories, is also a cancer fighting cruciferous vegetable. Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals as well. The cauliflower used in this recipe is white but there are greenish and purple cauliflower types that would work well in this recipe also.

Cauliflower makes a fine raw side dish as well as a cooked vegetable. Most people think that the only way to eat is to boil it to mush and drench it in butter. There are many more ways to eat cauliflower and make it even tastier!

We like curry dishes. Curry isn’t a traditional New Mexican food. However, we do have the hot weather here and Indian spiced dishes are very cooling and delicious. Please see the curry chicken recipe linked below for another delicious and healthful curry dish.

I served the Indian style cauliflower dish over brown rice. I cook the brown rice in chicken stock and butter. Vegans make their brown rice without the animal products. Serve this with radishes and pickles as the cool crunch of both is very complimentary to the dish. For dessert we had Mango Pudding another cooling dish. (See link!)

Somehow, eating the healthy vegetarian meal of cauliflower balances out the richness of the Mango Pudding!

The first recipe is the baked cauliflower. Baked cauliflower has a sweet nutty flavor. Baking the cauliflower also helps retain the health benefits of the cauliflower.

Baked Cauliflower (easy-peasey) Recipe

Preheat oven to 400°

One head cauliflower washed and broken into florets (break/slice big florets in two)

One cookie sheet (9” X 14”)

2-3 T. olive oil

1-2 T. Kosher salt (to taste and remember you may always add more salt later but you cannot take away the salt if you added too much!)

1-2 T. Lemon Juice

Toss florets on cookie sheet with the olive oil, salt and lemon juice.

Bake for 10-15 minutes

Stir the cauliflower once during baking

Additionally you may add red pepper flakes or a bit of garlic, both to your taste.

The second recipe is the Indian style cauliflower.

Cauliflower Indian Style (made with raw cauliflower) Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

1 T. vegetable oil

1 head of cauliflower (raw)

½ sliced onion

12 cherry tomatoes

1 ½ t. cumin

1 ½ t. coriander

1 t. turmeric

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 ½ T. lemon juice

½ C. plain yoghurt

Water

2/3 C. frozen peas

¼ C. fresh cilantro (powder substitute will not do here)

Recipe Preparation:

Wash and break/slice the raw cauliflower into small florets

Slice the onions

Halve the cherry tomatoes

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven

Add the onion and sauté until done but do not brown.

Add the cauliflower and stir until a bit toasted and tender

Add the halved cherry tomatoes

Stir

Add about 3 T. of the water and place the lid on the Dutch oven, cook until the cauliflower is done but not mushy. This takes about 5-10 minutes depending on how small you broke the cauliflower florets. Don’t let this burn!

Stir in the spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper flakes.

Lower the heat and mix in the lemon juice and yogurt and about another 3 T. of water

Mix

Stir in the peas and the fresh chopped cilantro.

Cook this on very low with the lid on for 1-2 minutes or until the peas are cooked.

Serve over brown rice.

This is a particularly fragrant dish that stands well on its own!

Note: I often throw in tomato sauce rather than the tomatoes and that works very well!